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Update: Local wrestling champ makes MMA debut in Hawaii

Local wrestling champion CJ Floor, who recently turned Mixed Marital Arts (MMA) fighter, will be making his MMA fighting debut tomorrow night, when he steps into the fighting cage for the first time against Ikaika Poaipuni of Maui.

 

The fight will be taking place in Hawaii on the island of Kauai, in the ‘Ainofea’s Kauai Cage Match’ (Mayhem at the Mansion).

 

Floor, who is only 21 years old, will be turning 22 one day after the fight and if he is victorious, he will be able not only to celebrate his debut win, but his birthday at the same time. Even though he is mainly known for his wrestling skills, he has been working on his boxing and kick boxing skills with American Samoa’s legendary MMA champion Deutsch Pu’u.

 

Floor ,who lives in Waipahu, Hawaii where he's been training for over six months, spoke with Samoa News via email about his upcoming fight when he steps into the steel cage for the very first time tomorrow night.

 

“Training has been awesome. I have been running up Coco Head, doing sprints and swimming for cardio,” said Floor. “I have been lifting light weights with high reps with little recovery time. I have been working on my stand up game by working out with Deutsch Pu’u on my boxing and kick boxing skills and with Travis Nua in jiu jitsu also for extra cardio work”.

 

“I am a little nervous, because it's my first time stepping in a cage for a real fight. But I am excited as well, which makes me train even harder, preparing myself for battle,” he said. He stated that his game plan is a secret. As a wrestler though, he wants to take his opponent down for a ‘ground and pound’ game, but he did not want to reveal too much.

 

“I would like to thank the Pu’u Aiga for taking me in when I moved here to Hawaii and American Samoa. Also I would like to thank Travis Nua for pushing me to work harder and harder everyday”.

 

He went on to say that he would like to thank all of Samoa for their support and all of the Sagapolutele family. “Back in Port, Jervis New York where my wrestling foundation was laid, I would like to thank everyone there involved in wrestling that helped me out to get to where I am today. But most of all, my dad who spent so much time and money on wrestling for me, it really helped me out so much to get where I am today. The biggest thank you goes out to him,” said Floor.

 

Floor will be fighting at 210 lbs and even though the fight will be an ‘ammy’ bout (amateur fight), which means the rules will be slightly different than in a professional fight, the intensity, the hard hits, kicks, adrenaline, submission holds and the wanting to knock the other guy out ‘asap’ will still be there.

 

Samoa News wishes American Samoa’s CJ Floor good luck in his climb up the ladder in the MMA world in his quest to become a champion MMA fighter just like American Samoa’s Deutsch Pu’u who recently retired from the cage last month.